Heart Attack!
by jonsmom14
Summary: What if Caleb wasn't the one to have a heart attack when he and Ryan were arguing? A/N: For my purposes, Seth was at the dinner as well. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Ryan felt as if he was in a tunnel

Ryan felt as if he was in a tunnel. He knew that Caleb had been yelling something at him, but for the life of him he couldn't hear the older man any longer. Everything was muffled; sound, colors, touch – everything. Suddenly his arm felt like someone had broken it. The pain radiated up and into his chest. He couldn't breathe!

The lack of air caused him to lose control of his legs. The next thing he knew, he was looking up at the ceiling gasping for breath. Ryan could barely hear his name being shouted in the background. It was gradually getting farther and farther away until everything went silent and black.


	2. Chapter 2

Caleb glared at the delinquent in front of him as he stacked insult upon insult about everything from his background to his character. The boy clenched his jaw and glared right back until suddenly a glazed look came over his face and he winced as he suddenly grabbed his arm and then his chest. Caleb stopped, shocked when his daughter's charity case collapsed to the ground.

"Boy! Boy what's wrong?" He shouted.

Kirsten, Seth and Lindsey burst into the room.

"RYAN!" Kirsten exclaimed, hurrying across the room to kneel next to the gasping teen. She quickly checked his pulse and became alarmed when she didn't feel one. Kirsten couldn't believe it! Her seventeen-year-old son was having a heart attack! Thanking God that Sandy thought it would be fun to take that first aid class together in college, she prepared to begin CPR.

Seth and Lindsey were staring in shock when Kirsten looked up at them. "Seth! Call 911. Tell them that Ryan is having a heart attack."

"Nonsense! He's a kid!" Caleb scoffed, recovering from his original surprise. "He's probably faking."

"His heart isn't beating Dad!" Kirsten declared as she began compressions. "Come on Ryan, don't do this. Stay with me Honey."

In response, Ryan stopped breathing and passed out.

"No! Ryan, come on!" Kirsten screamed, hurrying to breathe for him before switching back to the compressions.

Lindsey and Caleb watched helplessly as the blond woman fought to save her son.

"He's in here!" Seth exclaimed, leading the paramedics into the room.

Caleb and Lindsey hadn't even heard the siren.

The paramedics swarmed Ryan and took over for Kirsten, who backed up and sat on the floor trying to catch her breath. Her own heart pounding in her ears drowned out the voices of the paramedics as they shouted information into their radios and followed the instructions of the voice on the other end. It seemed like seconds before they were wheeling a gurney out towards the ambulance.

"I'm going with you." Kirsten declared, grabbing her purse off the hall table and hurrying after them. "Seth, call your father and meet me at the hospital!" She ordered before she left with the ambulance.

Seth nodded absently, still going through the motions, and dialed his dad.

"Seth, I'm sorry son, but I'm about to go into another meeting. Can I call you back later?" Sandy asked absently as he answered the phone and thumbed through the file he was about to go into the conference about.

"Ryan had a heart attack." Seth declared brokenly, finally starting to cry as the reality of the situation began to sink in.

Sandy froze and actually stared at the phone before putting it back to his ear. "What did you say?" He whispered, sure he had misheard.

"Ryan had a heart attack. Mom had to do CPR and now they're on their way to the hospital. He stopped breathing Dad." Seth cried.

Sandy turned on his heel and rushed towards the elevator, not even bothering to go back to his office and get his things. "I'm on my way Seth. I'm leaving right now." Sandy informed him as the doors of the elevator opened and he pushed the necessary button.

"I'll see you there. Mom's with the ambulance." Seth sniffled.

"Is Caleb or Lindsey still there? See if one of them will drive you. I don't want you driving this upset son." Sandy instructed as he opened his car door and started the car.

"Yeah, I'll do that." Seth agreed.

"I'll see you there. I love you." Sandy told him, wishing he could reassure his son that everything was going to be alright. But he didn't know that.

"I love you too." Seth whispered brokenly before he ended the call.

Sandy tossed the phone into the passenger seat of his car and accelerated towards the hospital praying that he would still have two sons at the end of the night.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 2

Kirsten sat in the waiting room and bounced her foot as she kept diligent watch for anyone who could tell her how her son was doing. She was relieved when they got his heart beating again on the ambulance. It had taken shocking him, but he was alive when they pulled into the hospital parking lot.

"Kirsten?"

Kirsten looked up to see a frazzled Sandy running towards her. For the first time, she allowed herself to cry. Sobs shook her small frame as she buried her face in her husband's chest. She was so grateful when he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.

"How is he?" Sandy croaked; a sure sign that he was also releasing some pent-up emotions.

Kirsten sniffled and pulled away, wiping at her eyes. "They got him back on the way here, but I haven't heard anything else yet. His heart stopped Sandy. He stopped breathing right after that. I've never been so terrified in my life. He's seventeen! He's an athlete! He runs everyday! How could this happen?" She demanded in frustration.

"I don't know Baby. Let's make sure he's OK then we'll worry about what's causing this." Sandy stated calmly.

Kirsten took a deep breath and nodded.

Just as they were about to sit down, Seth came hurrying into the waiting room with Caleb and Lindsey trailing behind him. "How is he?" Seth demanded, slightly out of breath.

"We don't know yet." Sandy told him as he greeted his son with a hug.

"Did they get his heart to start beating?" Seth asked, half-afraid of the answer.

"Yes. They had to shock him, but he was breathing and his heart was beating when we got here. We just have to be patient and wait until the doctor comes out." Kirsten told him gently.

"I'll bet he's on drugs. Why else would a kid have a heart attack?" Caleb asked.

Seth went to stand toe-to-toe with his grandfather. "Shut up! You don't know anything about him! You've had it in for Ryan since he got here and he's never done anything to you! Why don't you get out of here! We don't need you!" Seth shouted.

"Seth! Calm down Sweetheart." Kirsten coaxed, taking his arm and pulling him behind her. "Dad you don't know Ryan, because if you did you would know that I can't even get him to take an aspirin unless his head is coming off his shoulders. He hates any kind of drugs. He won't even take cold medicine. You've judged him unfairly since day one and I've let you. But no more. You will respect BOTH of my sons or you won't have anything to do with either of them. Don't you ever talk to Ryan the way that you were shouting at him tonight again!" Kirsten declared forcefully. "Now I think it would be best if you went home. Thank you for bringing Seth, but we can take it from here."

Caleb huffed and turned towards his youngest daughter who had watched the entire scene with wide eyes. "Come on Lindsey, I'll take you to your mother's."

Lindsey shook her head. "No thank you. I'd like to wait with them to hear about Ryan. I'll call my mother to pick me up later."

"You need to find another young man to date. You can see that he's nothing but trouble." Caleb grumbled.

Lindsey's eyes narrowed. "Ryan is a wonderful person."

"He's a criminal!" Caleb scoffed.

"So are you." Lindsey reminded him. "It seems you both have the same lawyer." She zinged before turning her back on him and sitting in a chair next to Seth.

Caleb stood rooted to the spot for a moment as his daughter's words washed over him. Upset, he turned on his heal and left the hospital.

Lindsey and the Cohen's had no sooner sat down when a doctor came out to the waiting room. "Family of Ryan Atwood?"

Kirsten was the first one out of her seat as they hurried over to the woman. "How's my son?" Kirsten demanded.

The doctor smiled at the distraught mother. "My name is Dr. Lee. I treated Ryan in the ER. Ryan is stable for the moment. I have turned his case over to our cardiovascular surgeon. He is currently running tests to discover the problem. We did run a tox-screen that came up negative. He definitely wasn't on anything."

"We already knew that." Seth grumbled. "Dude won't even take aspirin!"

"Seth!" Kirsten scolded.

Dr. Lee smiled at the teen. "It's standard procedure when someone as young as Ryan comes in suffering from cardiac arrest." She turned her attention back to Kirsten. "Good job, by the way, the paramedics told me that you saved his life with CPR."

"When can we see him?" Kirsten asked, ignoring the compliment.

"Not until the tests are complete. You have a long wait on your hands I'm afraid." Dr. Lee informed them.

"As long as Ryan is alright." Sandy declared.

"He's in good hands. His cardiovascular surgeon is one of the best in the country. Dr. Taylor will speak to you when Ryan is finished." Dr. Lee reassured them before leaving the room.

"Kirsten?"

Kirsten turned to see her sister looking at her.

"I'm going to call Mom to come get me. I'm glad that Ryan's going to be OK."

"Thank you Honey." Kirsten hugged her sister. "We'll call you when we know something."

Lindsey nodded and gave them a sad smile before stepping outside to make her phone call.

Once she was gone, Sandy led his wife over to the chairs and sat down with her before pulling her into his arms. "Thank you. Thank you for saving him."

Kirsten looked up at her husband. "He's our son now, Sandy. I know that I didn't give birth to him…"

"But you did give him life Honey. You're right, he's ours now. Maybe we should look into making it even more permanent." Sandy continued, understanding where she was going with this. "I'll make some calls and we'll talk to Ryan when he's better.

"Thank you." Kirsten snuggled against him, feeling as if they were a team again for the first time since the trouble started with her father.

Sandy sighed, enjoying holding his wife again. He didn't know what he had been thinking, taking a chance on ruining his marriage with this amazing woman; but he would recommend another lawyer to take over Rebecca's case. Besides, his son needed him.

Caleb sat in his study nursing a glass of scotch. He barely took notice of the amber liquid as he brooded about the truth in his youngest daughter's statement.

In all of his legal troubles he had never considered that he was – in fact – a criminal. But instead of being the tag-along to his brother who was intent on being a thief; he, Caleb Nichol was the mastermind. No one had demanded his loyalty to force him into his crime. Oh yes, Caleb knew all about what truly happened that night the Atwood brothers were arrested. The moment the boy had shown up at his daughter's house, Caleb had pulled some strings and gotten the delinquent's police record.

The report was straight forward and short. This was Ryan Atwood's first offense, and it wasn't even something that should have been treated as more than a boy's antics. But because he was with his brother at the time, the same brother who this particular judge had seen before, the judge had been much stricter. It was only Sanford's knowledge of the law that had kept the teen out of prison.

Caleb took a sip of his drink and sighed. As much as he hated to admit it, Caleb might have been wrong about his daughter's foster son. No, Kirsten had called him her son. That would mean the he now had two grandsons.

Caleb chuckled ruefully. How ironic that all these years he had berated Seth for his lack of interest in athletics and the Newport Group. Then this kid comes along that has all the interests he wished for in Seth, and Caleb does everything he can to get rid of him – including causing him to have a heart attack.

Caleb jerked up in his chair. Ryan had a heart attack tonight! He could have died and he was sitting here drinking instead of making sure the boy – no, his GRANDSON – had the best care possible.

Caleb grabbed his keys and started towards the door.

"Caleb? Where are you going?"

Caleb turned and saw his wife, Julie, coming down the stairs.

"Ryan had a heart attack. I've got to get to the hospital." Caleb explained quickly.

"I'll drive." Julie declared, taking the keys from her husband's fingers and led the way out the door.

They were in the car on their way to HOAG when Caleb finally spoke up. "I'm surprised that you wanted to come."

Julie grinned. "Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss it. Did you tell the cops to wait until you got there to arrest him?"

Caleb stared at the red head in confusion. "Why would Ryan be arrested?"

Startled, Julie glanced at Caleb. "He's been doing drugs right? I mean that's why he had the heart attack – drugs. So we can finally be rid of the punk. I can't wait to see him in handcuffs." She actually giggled.

Caleb felt sick. Was this how his daughters and grandson saw him? He knew that he wasn't a kind man, but was he this cruel and twisted? Caleb had the sinking feeling that he was. He had finally put a mirror up in front of himself, and Caleb was horrified by what he was seeing.

Caleb took a deep breath and turned his attention back to Julie. "Julie, I know that I have often spoken against Ryan and been miserable towards him, but I can't do that anymore. He almost died tonight Julie. He may still have. He's seventeen years old and he had a heart attack. No kid should be dying at seventeen. I've been wrong Julie. I've been so very wrong."

Julie gasped and barely regained control of the car in her shock. "What are you talking about? He's a criminal."

Caleb sighed. "So am I, so is Jimmy. We've all made mistakes Julie, but Ryan has cleaned up and worked hard to change. He's one of Harbor's top students, he doesn't party and he doesn't do drugs. Kirsten said that she can barely get him to take aspirin when he has a headache."

"I'm just trying to protect my daughter." Julie argued.

"From what? Ryan saved her life in Tijuana. Then he saved her from that Oliver boy. She didn't drink as much and she stayed away from the drugs and parties when she was dating him. If I was Kirsten and Sanford I would keep her away from Ryan. First she got him beat up because she was flirting with him despite dating the Ward boy at the time. Then she forced him to save her in Mexico. As if that wasn't enough, Marissa decides to flirt with a psychopath she met at therapy. Where in all of that did Marissa need protection from Ryan?" Caleb ranted.

Julie pulled into a parking space and stared at her husband in shock. "You like him! You actually like that…"

"Careful Julie, that's my grandson you're talking about." Caleb interrupted her sternly, getting out of the car.

Julie sat frozen in the car as she watched Caleb close the door and start towards the emergency room doors. Swearing, she jerked the keys out of the ignition and rushed after him as fast as her heals would carry her. As much as she despised her husband at times, he was still her current source of income and it wouldn't do to alienate him. Who knew when he might cut her off? She swore again when she realized that she no longer had her strongest ally against that Chino trash.

Kirsten leaned against her husband and sighed. "How much longer? Can't they just come tell us something – ANYTHING?"

Sandy kissed her forehead. "It always takes a long time to run tests sweetheart." He pointed out.

Kirsten dug her forehead into his shoulder. "I know I just want to see him."

Seth raised his head from his hands when he heard the sound of high heels on the linoleum. He groaned when he saw his grandfather and the dragon lady come into the waiting room.

"Dad what are you doing back here?" Kirsten asked her father wearily.

Caleb sighed and took the empty chair next to her. "I've been doing a lot of thinking. Mostly about what Lindsey said before I left. I've decided that I've been a hypocrite. I've been giving Ryan a hard time when I've committed much more heinous crimes for far longer, and I married a woman from a place no better than Chino. Ryan is my grandson, and instead of enjoying spending time with him, I've been doing everything in my power to get rid of him. I was wrong – so very wrong – and I'm so sorry. I want to be there for both of my grandsons."

The Cohen's stared at the older man in shock. Caleb Nichol never apologized – ever.

Seth leaned over in his chair and felt the floor with his hand. Everyone looked at him like he was crazy. Seth shrugged. "I was just making sure the floor wasn't cold. I figured Hell has just frozen over."

Sandy chuckled and ruffled Seth's hair. Kirsten smiled and shook her head at her son's antics. She turned her attention back to Caleb. "Thank you Dad. I hope you'll tell Ryan when you can. I think he would really appreciate hearing it I know that I did." She told him, standing up and giving him a hug.

The door opened and a doctor came out. "Family of Ryan Atwood?"

Kirsten turned from her father and grabbed her husband's hand as he came to stand next to her. "Yes?"

The doctor walked over to him. "I need to just speak to family." He clarified.

"We're all family doctor." Sandy informed him.

The doctor nodded. "My name is Dr. Taylor. I'm the cardiac surgeon who was on call when Ryan arrived at the hospital. His case was immediately turned over to me when he was stabilized. Ryan has suffered a massive heart attack. We've been running several tests and we know what caused the attack. Ryan has HCM or Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. It's a heart condition that is often genetic. Do either of you have this condition?" He asked.

"We're Ryan's legal guardians, but I've seen his file and there are no mentions of the condition in the family medical history." Sandy replied.

The doctor nodded. "That's not unusual it's not always diagnosed. If you can find the parents and any siblings, you may want to alert them to the possibility of the condition. It's rare, but it is possible that this wasn't hereditary. Fortunately we caught it. Many young people don't realize they have a problem, and there are those that have died without explanation until tests were run to discover the condition. Unfortunately, because Ryan has suffered cardiac arrest, his case is pretty advanced. With his attack his heart is fighting arrhythmia, which is a fancy word for an irregular heart beat."

"What do you suggest?" Sandy asked, trying not to panic at the thought that Ryan could have died suddenly and he would have never seen him again.

"Normally I would suggest surgery, but Ryan's attack and arrhythmia changes things. There is too much of a chance for another episode. There is another treatment. It is called ICD or Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator**. **Basically it's just like it sounds. It's a defibrillator that we actually implant into the heart. It constantly monitors his heart and if it becomes irregular a small electric shock will be released to fix the rhythm." The doctor explained.

Kirsten gasped. "Will it hurt him?" She asked, her eyes filling with tears.

The doctor sighed. "Patients with the ICD say that if the heart is slow and the pace-maker feature is used they don't usually feel it. However, if the heart races and the defibrillator feature engages they say that it feels like a kick in the chest or electrocution. If that occurs he needs to lie down and someone will need to stay with him. If he looses consciousness or if this occurs twice in a day, you'll need to call his doctor."

"How do you put this thing in his heart?" Seth asked.

"There are two directions that we can go. We can either go in from the collarbone or from the abdomen. I prefer on men to go through the collarbone. It will look like a small bump under his skin. We feed the probe through a vein into the chamber of the heart. He will need to remain in the hospital for three days afterwards to make sure there are no mishaps. The wound usually heals in a few months but he can take a shower after five days. For six weeks Ryan can't lift anything more than ten pounds. After that he should be able to live relatively normally." The doctor explained.

"What about exercise? Ryan loves to exercise." Seth demanded.

"Seth we'll worry about that later." Sandy scolded.

The doctor grinned. "We'll see how he reacts to the ICD first. If everything goes according to plan, I don't see any reason he can't continue aerobic exercise at his discretion. I can tell you that he's not going to feel up to it for a while. The cardiac arrest has sapped most of his strength. He'll sleep most of the time for a few weeks."

"When are you going to do this procedure?" Sandy asked.

"Not for at least twelve hours. We need to make sure that he doesn't have anything on his stomach before we proceed. I'll need you to sign consent forms for the administration." The doctor told him. "I've got some more patients to check on. You can see Ryan now as he should be back in his room. Either you or your wife can stay with him for the night, but everyone else will have to adhere to visiting hours – which have already ended. I will allow you a short visit before you leave, but try to keep it to ten minutes. Ryan needs his rest. Ryan is in intensive care so that we can monitor him very closely until the procedure is done. Then he will be in a cardio surgical unit. You can just go to ICU and the nurse there will direct you to him."

"Thank you Dr. Taylor." Sandy replied, shaking the man's hand and leading his family towards the ICU and the young man that had become a part of their family.

Caleb hesitated. He didn't think it was right to invade in this time with his daughter's family. Ryan wouldn't appreciate his presence while he himself was so weak.

Caleb pulled Sandy's arm to get his attention. When his son-in-law looked at him, Caleb whispered softly. "I think I'll take Julie home. Ryan won't appreciate us seeing him like this."

Sandy glanced over at Julie's cold demeanor. He narrowed his eyes. "No, I think that ALL of Ryan's family needs to be here." He disagreed. Leaning closer to Caleb he whispered. "Julie needs to realize that Ryan is just a kid, not some hardened criminal. Maybe seeing him like this will remind her of that fact."

"Or she'll find some way to use this to attack him." Caleb pointed out.

Sandy smiled. "How? What kind of sick puppy criticizes a kid with a heart condition in ICU."

Caleb's smiled. "This is the kind of thing that makes you such a good lawyer Sanford." He complimented.

Sandy's eyes widened a bit in surprise. "Thank you Caleb." He replied solemnly, wondering if Seth was right and the devil was making Sno Cones.

Sandy's comical thoughts came to a screeching halt as he laid eyes on his blond son. Ryan was so pale that he disappeared into the white sheets. He had wires running from his chest to the machines around him. A blanket was pulled up to his bare chest and Kirsten was already at his side, brushing his tousled hair away from his face.

The motion caused Ryan to slowly open his eyes. He smiled weakly at Kirsten.

"Hey." Ryan whispered.

"Hello Sweetie, how are you feeling?" Kirsten asked him, continuing to brush at his hair.

"Better." Ryan replied, still barely able to be heard. "What happened? What's wrong with me?"

"Honey, you had a heart attack. You have a heart condition called HCM." Kirsten told him gently.

Ryan stared at her for a moment in shock. "A heart attack?" He croaked. The machines beeped out an alarm for a second before settling back down.

"Shhh… You're going to be fine Baby." Kirsten comforted him. She placed her hand tenderly on his cheek and met his frightened gaze with her own reassuring one. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Will you trust me?"

Fighting back tears, Ryan nodded. Kirsten smiled at him and then leaned forward and brushed her lips across his forehead. "Good boy." She said softly.

Sandy glanced over at Julie and Caleb during this exchange. Caleb had tears in his eyes as he watched his daughter and grandson, but it was Julie's reaction that shocked Sandy the most. Those were not crocodile tears flowing down the Dragon Lady's cheeks. Julie looked truly upset!

Sandy's realization was cut short as Seth stepped up to Ryan's side. He reached out and gently bumped knuckles with Ryan's lax fist. "Hey Bro, you went all drama on me."

"Sorry." Ryan whispered.

Seth looked at him seriously. "I'm glad you're going to be OK."

Reading the meaning behind the words, Ryan nodded.

Sandy came to stand next to the bed. He took Ryan's hand in his.

"I could have done worse." Ryan whispered with a tired grin.

Remembering his own words when they first met, Sandy chuckled. "You sure could have. You're gonna be fine kid. Just remember that we love you."

"Love you too." Ryan replied. Unable to fight his exhaustion, Ryan closed his eyes and a moment later he was sound asleep.

Kirsten smiled down at him for a moment before she sniffled and looked around the room. She was startled to see her father and Julie standing near the door. She was especially startled to see the tears. Her dad hadn't cried since her mother died.

Kirsten didn't know what to think about Julie, so she didn't bother. Turning her thoughts back to the matter at hand, Kirsten looked over at her husband. "Sandy, you and Seth go home and get some rest. I'll stay with Ryan tonight."

Sandy nodded, knowing that it would take an act of God to pry Kirsten away from the teen right now. He pulled Kirsten against him and kissed her tenderly. "Take good care of him. We'll see you in the morning. I love you."

"I love you too." Kirsten replied before turning her attention to her abnormally quiet son. She hugged him tightly. "I love you Honey. You and your father get some rest. I'll see you bright and early." She told him, planting a kiss on her cheek.

"Love you too Mom." Seth returned the hug whole-heartedly.

Kirsten turned to say something to her dad, but he and Julie were already gone.

Part 3

Caleb and Julie were silent as they walked into the house. Julie hurried up the stairs with the intense need to check on her daughter. Once she had reassured herself that Marissa was safe in her bed, the couple meandered into Caleb's study and Caleb poured them both a drink. Julie downed hers in one gulp and then slouched into her chair.

"Poor Kirsten." Julie stated.

Caleb nodded. "Do you see why I can't treat Ryan like before?"

Julie stared into her husband's eyes. "Yes." She whispered brokenly. "I can't believe I've treated him like I did. Damn, he's just a kid and he has to get a pacemaker. I couldn't bear it if it was Marissa."

"It's not the pacemaker part that concerns me. Roger Harwood has one of those ICD things. We were in a meeting and he got upset about something. Next thing we knew, he was curled up in the floor fighting tears. He said it felt like someone hit him with a baseball bat. He had broken out into a sweat and was shaking. I remember praying that I would always stay healthy. I changed my diet and made an appointment with the doctor." Caleb reminisced, taking a sip of his scotch.

Julie paled and stood up. "I need another drink."

Sandy and Seth walked into the quiet house. Neither said anything as they made their way up to their respective rooms. As soon as he got dressed for bed, Seth picked up his phone and called Summer.

"Cohen someone had better be dying or you will be." Summer growled.

Seth choked down a sob at the words.

"Oh God Cohen, what happened? Are you alright? Answer me Cohen!" Summer shouted, terrified when her babbling boyfriend was silent.

"Ryan's in the hospital." Seth croaked.

"I thought you were all having dinner with Mr. Nichol." Summer replied, puzzled.

"Dad had a meeting so he couldn't come. Grandpa was yelling at Ryan about getting Theresa pregnant when Ryan grabbed his chest and collapsed. His heart wasn't beating and he stopped breathing. Mom did CPR – I didn't even know that she had learned it. I called an ambulance and they got him back." Seth explained.

"How in the world did Chino have a freaking heart attack? He's seventeen!" Summer demanded.

"He has a hereditary heart disease called HCM." Seth informed her morosely.

"But he's going to be fine, right? Why didn't you call me sooner? I would have been at the hospital with you."

Seth sighed. "Grandpa kept insulting Ryan in the waiting room. Then Lindsey accused him of being a criminal himself."

"Go Lindsey." Summer cheered.

"Yeah. He left for a while and then came back with Julie – I'm not sure why she was there. Anyway he apologized and said he wanted to try being a better grandfather to us. It was surreal."

"I'll bet." Summer chuckled.

"Seth?"

Seth looked up to see his pajama-clad father standing in the doorway. "Sorry Sum, Dad's here. I'll let you go."

"I'll see you tomorrow Cohen. Chino's going to be OK." Summer told his softly.

"I know. I love you." Seth replied, ending the call.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your call, but tomorrow is going to be a long day and we need to get some sleep." Sandy reminded him.

"I know." Seth agreed solemnly. "Is Ryan really going to be OK?"

Sandy sighed and came to sit on the side of his son's bed. "I know that what happened tonight was pretty terrifying."

"He was lying on the ground and he couldn't breathe. Mom had to breathe for him and pump his heart for him. I thought that was it. He was going to die." Seth whispered brokenly.

Sandy hugged Seth close to him and his normally anti-affection son didn't protest. "I can't imagine how hard that was on you. But you kept your head enough to call for help. I'm so proud of you. As for Ryan, well he has a long road ahead of him. He's going to need all of us to support him and help him."

"He's my brother. Of course I'll be there for him. I promised him I would never let him down again after Oliver. I'm not going to break my promise." Seth declared.

"I know you won't." Sandy smiled. "Now get some sleep. We'll need to be up early to get to the hospital before they do the ICD procedure." Sandy instructed, standing back up and walking over to the door.

Seth nodded and made himself more comfortable on the bed.

"I love you son." Sandy whispered before he walked out of the room.

"Love you too Dad." Seth's soft voice floated behind him.

Sandy smiled.

Ryan forced his eyes open. His chest felt like a weight was sitting on it. Even though he could breathe, he felt like he was forcing air in and out of his lungs. His mouth was a desert. He couldn't even swallow. Glancing around, hoping for help, he noticed a nurse sitting next to him. That was when he remembered where he was and what happened to him. More importantly, he remembered what happened earlier that day.

He had woken up that morning to see Kirsten standing over him smiling.

"Hey sleepy head. How are you feeling?" She asked him tenderly.

"Fine." Ryan replied.

"Uh huh, right. I'm sure that's true." Kirsten retorted sarcastically. "Try again Sweetheart."

"I'm tired. That's all – honest." Ryan urged.

Kirsten kissed his cheek. "Thank you. Ryan you are going to have to be very honest with us from now on about your health. It would be too easy for something to happen to you if you don't tell us right away if something is wrong. I don't ever want to experience last night again. I was terrified that we lost you."

"I'm sorry." Ryan whispered.

"Oh Honey, it's not your fault. No one could have known about this. Do you ever remember anything happening with your parents like this? Do you know if they have a heart condition?" Kirsten asked.

Ryan shook his head. "I don't know about Frank, but Dawn definitely doesn't have a heart condition. She's OD'd a couple of times. They would have found it then because they did tests on her heart afterwards."

"Thank you for telling me. Sandy will make sure that Frank knows to get tested." Kirsten replied hiding her horror of the idea Ryan had seen his mother overdose on drugs not once, but twice. She wasn't allowing Dawn to interfere in Ryan's life ever again. She hoped Sandy would come through.

Ryan yawned. "Sorry." He apologized, embarrassed.

Kirsten chuckled. "Don't be. You already told me you were tired." She assured him, brushing his hair back from his face.

Ryan blushed. "I know. I need another hair cut."

Kirsten grinned and winked. "I think we can wait until you get out of here. I doubt anyone of Maurice's talent works at the hospital. Or I could just get him to come here." Kirsten couldn't help but chuckle at Ryan's reaction to the Cohen family hairdresser.

"Oh God please no." Ryan shuddered at the thought of the prissy man coming to the hospital to give him a hair cut. Maurice never made a secret that he thought Ryan was ripped and Ryan in turn made sure he always wore his shirt buttoned up around him. He dreaded the thought of Maurice seeing him shirtless.

Kirsten laughed. "Oh Ryan your face! Honey don't worry, I wouldn't do that to you. Besides, it's a mom's prerogative to play with her son's hair."

Ryan smiled when Kirsten referred to herself as his mom. He had caught himself several times in the last year almost calling her that. He didn't know how she would feel about it, and he knew that it would break Dawn's heart. A little voice asked if it really mattered if Dawn's feelings got hurt. She had abandoned him – twice – after all.

Sighing, Ryan relaxed back into the pillows. He was too tired for these heavy thoughts right then. He did have to admit, though, that it felt really great when Kirsten mothered him, and he wasn't going to protest that at all.

The door opened and Dr. Taylor came into the room followed by Sandy and Seth.

"Look who we found wandering the halls." Seth announced as he made his way over to Ryan. "How ya feelin' man?" He asked, bumping fists with his brother.

"Better." Ryan declared with an amused smile. Seth was obviously in a good mood this morning.

"Good to hear. Just FYI, Summer knows about you being here and she said she would see you later today." Seth informed him.

"Actually, she won't be seeing him until tonight if she's here." Dr. Taylor interrupted. "We plan to start the procedure as soon as possible this morning. You've been having a lot of fluctuations in your heart rate, and we need to get you regulated as soon as possible. The nurse and anesthesiologist will be in soon to prep you."

"Will he be asleep?" Sandy asked, placing his hand on Ryan's shoulder.

"No, we give him something to numb the area, but it's too dangerous to knock him out. You'll be very sleepy, but not unconscious. Most patients fall asleep in recovery. We are going to do a biventricular ICD which means we will be attaching the leads to the right atrium, right ventrical and the left ventrical to make sure that your heart beats in a more balanced way. It is the ICD specifically used for patients who have experienced heart failure. If there are no other questions, I'll go prepare for the procedure." Dr. Taylor explained.

"Not right now. Thank you Doctor." Sandy replied.

After the doctor left, Seth turned to a worried-looking Ryan. "Hey dude, you're about to get a new super power. It's really not fair that you should have fists of fury and electricity."

"Seth!" Kirsten scolded, but then she noticed the amused smirk on Ryan's face. She smiled at her son to let him know he wasn't in trouble. He was so good at cheering his brother up.

"Thanks man." Ryan said softly.

"I've got your back Bro. I keep my promises." Seth assured him.

Ryan nodded. He didn't get a chance to reply because the door opened and the nurse and anesthesiologist came into the room.

Kirsten leaned over and kissed Ryan's cheek tenderly. She placed her hand on his other cheek and stared down into his eyes. "I'll be waiting for you. Everything is going to be OK."

"I know. Thank you – you know for being here." Ryan replied.

"I'm always going to be here Ryan. I may not have given birth to you, but you are my son Ryan. I love you." Kirsten told him.

"I love you too – M-Mom." Ryan whispered so that only she could hear him.

Kirsten smiled and a tear ran down her cheek. "Thank you, you are amazing." She told him, quickly kissing his forehead and stepping away before she embarrassed herself.

Sandy stepped forward and ruffled Ryan's hair. "You take care, we'll be right here. You've got this in the bag Kid. Just remember that we love you."

"I love you guys too." Ryan declared.

Seth tapped fists with him again. "I'll see ya later Bro. Love ya man – you know, in a totally non-sexual way."

Ryan chuckled. "You too Seth."

The Cohen's stood and watched as their fourth member was wheeled out of the room.

_Back to the present…_

The nurse finally noticed that her patient was awake.

"Hi Ryan, how are you feeling?" She asked him with a smile.

"Thirsty." He croaked.

"You can have some ice chips, but nothing else until we're sure that the anesthesia has worn off." She informed him, "but first I need you to answer a couple of questions so I know you're brain is functioning normally. What's your full name?"

"Ryan Atwood."

"Who is the president?"

"Bush."

"Great, two for two. Last one – what is your mother's name?"

Without thinking about it he answered "Kirsten."

The nurse smiled. She knew that Kirsten Cohen was listed as his foster mother, but if the kid considered her as his mother she wasn't going to argue. "Great Ryan." She told him before spooning a piece of the frozen water into his mouth. "How's your chest feel? Are you in any pain?"

Ryan shook his head. "It just feels really heavy like something is sitting on it." He said with a clearer voice.

"That's normal. Let me know if there is any actual pain or if you have any trouble breathing."

"Where's my family?" Ryan asked.

"They're in the surgical waiting room. Now that you're awake and talking we can move you into a private room and they can be with you there." The nurse informed him.

"Great." Ryan sighed in relief as he closed his eyes and fell back to sleep.

TBC…


	4. Chapter 4

Julie and Caleb were having breakfast when Marissa came breezing down the stairs

Julie and Caleb were having breakfast when Marissa came breezing down the stairs.

"Marissa? I need to talk to you." Julie spoke up, halting her daughter in her tracks.

Marissa rolled her eyes. "What?"

"Let's go into the living room." Julie instructed.

Marissa was surprised when Caleb stood up to go with them. Once all of them were seated, Marissa looked at her mother and stepfather slightly fearfully. Had they found out about her and Alex?

"Marissa, honey, something happened last night while Caleb was having dinner at the Cohen's." Julie began.

Marissa was relieved to know that she wasn't in trouble. Then her curiosity was peaked. "What happened?"

"Ryan had a heart attack." Caleb stated.

Marissa was confused. "But he doesn't do drugs."

Julie sighed. "No, he wasn't doing drugs."

"Then how did he have a heart attack? This is some kind of trick isn't it? You found out about me and Alex and now you're trying to get me back with Ryan." Marissa declared, convinced that they were ganging up on her.

"What the hell are you talking about? Who's Alex? Never mind, just sit down and listen for a minute. Ryan has a heart condition called HCM. He's going to have a procedure today that will put a device into his heart to regulate it. Your mother and I are going to the hospital and we can give you a ride if you want." Caleb declared.

"I want to know who Alex is." Julie demanded.

"Not now Julie. It's probably another gardener or pool boy or janitor or something." Caleb dismissed. He turned back to his stepdaughter. "Are you coming with us?"

"I can't. I already have to be somewhere. I'll check on Ryan later." Marissa replied, standing back up.

"That's fine." Caleb told her, relieved. He really didn't want Ryan and Marissa getting back together. She was too stressful, and his grandson didn't need to take any chances. Marissa, with all her drama, would likely get Ryan killed. As much as that would allow life to go back to normal, Kirsten would be devastated. He didn't need that headache. Besides, Ryan was his chance for the athletic, successful businessman grandson he'd always dreamed about. "Have a good day!" He told her, getting up.

Julie looked at her husband in shock. She couldn't believe that Caleb was letting her blow off Ryan like that. She thought that Caleb cared about him now. As soon as Marissa was out of the room, she confronted him about it.

"What was that all about? I thought you would want Marissa there?" Julie demanded.

"Not a chance." Caleb replied with a shake of his head as he started towards the front door with Julie trailing behind him.

"Why not? They're still friends." Julie asked getting into the car as Caleb started the engine.

"Because Ryan doesn't need any stress right now, and even you have to admit Marissa adds a lot of drama to whatever she's involved with." Caleb answered, pulling out of the driveway.

Julie couldn't argue with that. She'd had to increase the number of her hair color appointments since Marissa came to live with them. "Fine but if that's the case why did you invite Marissa to come with us?"

Caleb glanced at her. "How much of a scene would she have made if we hadn't told her and she had found out by herself?"

Julie cringed at the thought. "Kirsten would have killed us."

Caleb nodded. "I know. But it all worked out, she didn't come and she knows about Ryan."

Julie nodded. That was all well and good, but who is Alex? Damn! He'd better NOT be a janitor!

Kirsten sat in the waiting room with her foot patting impatiently. Sandy was looking through some files and Seth was talking to Summer, who had shown up only a few minutes before.

"Kirsten, Honey he's going to be OK." Sandy told her softly as he looked up from his paperwork.

"I can't help it Sandy." Kirsten told him. She sighed and turned to face him. "Have you heard anything about what we talked about yesterday?"

Sandy raised his eyebrows. "Um, Kirsten when would I have made those calls? I've been with you every waking moment."

"Sorry. It's just that Ryan said something right before they took him back for the procedure." Kirsten explained.

"What did he say?" Sandy asked with concern.

Kirsten allowed her eyes to fill with tears and she smiled happily. "He called me 'Mom'."

Sandy's face split into a grin. "Really?"

Kirsten nodded. "It felt just as good as when Seth said it the first time – maybe even better since Ryan _chose_ me to be his mother."

Sandy hugged her close. "I'm happy for you Sweetheart."

"Thanks." Kirsten replied. "I really want to do this Sandy."

"I promise I'll take care of it as soon as we know Ryan is alright. But you do realize this will be his choice." Sandy warned her.

"I know I just want to have everything ready when we ask him." Kirsten replied.

"We will." Sandy assured her.

They looked up as Dr. Taylor came out to the waiting room. He was still in his scrubs. He smiled at the Cohen family and met them in the middle of the room. "Ryan is fine. The procedure went perfectly. The ICD is already working and we've seen much better rhythm in just this short time. He is now coming out of recovery and should be in a room within the next fifteen minutes. He's going to have some discomfort from the procedure as well as getting used to the ICD itself. We'll keep him here for three days just to make sure that there are no complications. Then he can go home. The nurse will go over how to care for the incision and the do's and don'ts of the ICD. The most important thing for now is to keep him calm. We don't want any accelerated heart rates while Ryan is still adjusting to the ICD. Do you have any questions that I haven't answered?"

"Will Ryan need any medications, or does the ICD do all the work?" Kirsten asked.

"I am prescribing him beta-blockers & an ACE Inhibitor to help the ICD. He'll need to take them daily. Anything else?" Dr. Taylor replied. When no one had anymore questions, he smiled. "OK then, a nurse will come get you when Ryan is settled. I'll be in to check on him this afternoon before I leave. Dr. Harris will take over then."

"Thank you Doctor." Sandy said, shaking the man's hand.

"My pleasure." Dr. Taylor replied before leaving the waiting room.

"There you go Cohen; Chino's going to be fine." Summer declared, rubbing her shoulder against him.

"Sure, except for the machine keeping his heart beating." Seth replied morosely.

Summer punched Seth in the arm. "Cohen! Don't you dare go in there and say anything like that!"

Seth grabbed his arm. "OW! Summer! Of course I wouldn't say that in front of Ryan. But it totally sucks that he has to live like this. Me? I could do it no prob! I'm all about avoiding manual labor, but Ryan is really into the exercise and heavy lifting. What's he going to do now?"

Summer sighed. "Cohen he'll be fine."

"Ryan just never gets a break." Seth said sadly.

"He doesn't get a lot of them, but when he does they are major – or don't you consider him becoming part of your family a major break?"

Seth nodded. "You're right. I was just throwing a pity party for Ryan."

Summer grinned. "You should have invited Chino."

Seth put his arm around Summer's shoulders. "It was a surprise party. He was supposed to show up later."

Summer rolled her eyes and chuckled. She had missed this closeness with her ex-boyfriend. Zach had been throwing them together quite a bit lately. What kind of boyfriend wanted you to hang out with your ex? Summer glanced over at Seth. He was looking serious again. Concern for his best friend filled his eyes. Maybe he deserved another chance. Besides, she wasn't exactly comfortable with someone as perfect as Zach. He made her feel like she had to be perfect too – all the time. With Cohen she could veg out in pajamas and not feel self-conscious. In fact he once told her she was even more beautiful that way.

Summer was so caught up in her musings that before she knew it, they were standing in front of Chino's room. She still couldn't believe that he had almost died the night before. Summer shuddered at the thought of what Newport had been like without Ryan last summer. Everything had seemed to fall apart. The Cohen's had seemed like they were lost without him. Seth had even run away on his boat, knowing he could have been killed trying to reach Tahiti. Summer gave Seth a quick hug just to reassure herself that he was still there.

Unaware of his ex's thoughts, Seth steeled himself to see the person that he considered to be his brother. It still scared the hell out of him that he could have lost Ryan. He had woken up this morning and gone out to the pool house before his father was up. He sat on Ryan's bed and tried to remind himself that his brother was in the hospital, not the morgue. What really scared him was that except for the baskets with Ryan's clothes and Ryan's school bag, there was nothing that pointed out that anyone even lived here.

Seth had decided right then to talk to his mom and dad about letting Ryan decorate the pool house to make it his own. Or even better, he could just move into the main house altogether. He didn't want to take any chances of Ryan not knowing how much he meant to them – to him.

Sandy and Kirsten led the way into the small private room. Ryan was lying in a slightly reclined position. He still had the wires attached to his chest. Only this time there was a bandage near his collarbone. His eyes were closed and he seemed peaceful.

Kirsten left Sandy's side to hurry over to Ryan. She brushed his hair away from his forehead in a motion that had become natural to them both. The mother leaned over and tenderly kissed his forehead. She was happy to see Ryan open his eyes and smile that special smile of his. Almost as if he was unsure if he should be this happy. It was precious as well as heart-breaking to see.

"Hey." Ryan greeted her, already sounding better than he had the night before.

"Hello Sweetheart. How are you feeling?" Kirsten smiled back.

"Tired and sore," Ryan replied, remembering her lecture about being truthful about his health.

"Thank you for being honest." She told him.

"Someone told me that I couldn't take chances with my health." Ryan smiled sheepishly.

"Someone that loves you very much and wants to make sure that you remain her son for a very, very long time." Kirsten replied.

"How long is very, very long?" Ryan asked tentatively.

"Oh indefinitely – even forever sounds about right." Kirsten replied. "But I'll settle for at least another fifty years or so."

Ryan's eyes widened. "But I'll be eighteen in a year."

"So?" Kirsten shrugged.

"I thought…" Ryan began, unable to continue.

"Ryan when we took you into our family, you were no longer a guest. You became our son. There's no return policy. I wasn't kidding this morning when I said that you were mine. You may have been born an Atwood, but you are a Cohen now. I realized it when you left last summer, but last night sealed the deal. You are Sandy and my son, and you have a brother named Seth. Never doubt that you're here for the long haul. Did you think we would let you go after you graduated?" Kirsten asked.

Ryan nodded. "That's how foster care works."

Kirsten shook her head. "Well WE don't work that way. You ARE going to college, and I AM going to sit there and cheer loudest of all. I expect to meet the girl you're going to marry and I expect to be escorted down the isle as the mother of the groom. I will be contacted immediately when you find out you are having your first child and I had better be there when you become a father. Do you understand me young man?"

Ryan glanced down at the blanket and then back up at the blond woman standing before him with a stern look on her face. His eyes filled with tears and he nodded. "Yes ma'am."

"Good." Kirsten stated before grinning.

"You'd better listen to your mother. She isn't one to be trifled with." Sandy chuckled. "You're lookin' good kid." He said, placing his hand on Ryan's leg.

"Yeah Dude, new rule: no more heart attacks allowed." Seth declared.

"Good rule." Ryan agreed as he tapped fists with his brother.

"Hey there Chino," Summer greeted as she moved to give him a quick hug, avoiding the wires. "You are so getting a beat down when you get better. What the hell were you thinking scaring us like that? You've already proven that we all care about you after you took off last summer. You didn't have to remind us like this."

Ryan, understanding that this was Summer's way of telling him that she was worried about him, nodded and smiled. "I think that you could probably take me right now."

"Pfft! I could take you anytime I wanted. You are no match for the rage blackouts. Underestimate them at your own demise." Summer declared haughtily.

Ryan chuckled and then grabbed his chest as the pain reminded him that he just got out of surgery. "Don't make me laugh." He begged.

"What's so funny?" A voice asked from the doorway.

Everyone turned to Caleb and Julie standing in the doorway.

Ryan looked at them warily. The beeping picked up speed slightly on the monitors Kirsten came to stand next to Ryan again and rubbed his arm. "Calm down Honey. It's OK they aren't here to make trouble. I think Dad realized how wrong he was about you last night."

Ryan glanced over at the woman. "Because I had a heart attack?" He asked, trying to figure out how long this would last.

"More like it was pointed out that you had the same lawyer." Seth informed him without taking his eyes off his grandfather. He knew that this new leaf Caleb was currently turning over would most likely shrivel up and die quickly. He wasn't about to let Ryan get hurt when it did.

"Seth is right." Caleb stated, coming farther into the room and stopping at the foot of the teen's bed. "I owe you a rather large apology. I have never given you a chance. Instead of feeling grateful for having another grandson, I did everything I could to push you away. I'm very sorry Ryan."

Ryan stared at him for a moment trying to figure out his angle. He had never seen Caleb Nichol go out of his way for anything that wasn't going to benefit him at some point. This man always had an angle. Glancing at Kirsten, he saw her proud look that she was shooting both him and Caleb. She really wanted this. Sandy's expression was mild and blank. The lack of open approval showed that he was wary of Caleb's sincerity as well. Seth looked like he was ready to defend his brother at a moment's notice. Summer was looking at Caleb and Julie uncertainly.

Sighing, Ryan wondered how he always got into these situations. "I accept your apology." He said softly. He was rewarded when Kirsten smiled brilliantly at him like he was the most wonderful person in the world. It made him feel almost overwhelmed. No one had ever looked at him like that before in his life.

Caleb smiled with satisfaction so far so good. The boy would do anything his daughter asked, that much was obvious. With her support this might just work out. Ryan would live the life that Caleb envisioned for a Nichol. He may have failed with his daughters and Seth, but this kid had potential.

Julie stood back and watched Caleb manipulate Kirsten and Ryan. She knew that Caleb thought that he had won when Ryan accepted his apology, but she had been watching Seth and Sandy. Whatever game Caleb was playing, he was going to have some pretty stiff opposition.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: WARNING! Read this part at your own peril. If you suffer from type 1 diabetes, be sure to take a shot of insulin before reading the following chapter. It is beyond mush!**

Sandy sighed and ran a hand through his disheveled hair. It was late in the evening and Kirsten had just relieved him from his shift of sitting with Ryan at the hospital. By unspoken agreement, the couple had decided that their son was not going to spend any time alone in the hospital. To make it easier, they were sitting with him in twelve hour shifts. They were given short breaks to eat and take care of personal business by visitors like Seth, Summer and Caleb. Julie had not returned, and Marissa had not even come at all. It made Sandy shake his head. He regretted giving Marissa that advice at Valentine's the year before. She was not good for Ryan and he should have left well enough alone.

Sandy looked up through the windshield of his car at the small bungalow that was now his office. It was where he had stashed his ex-girlfriend and client – Rebecca. He had been so torn between wanting to help his former love and her father; and wanting to run as far and as fast from the situation as he could get. He knew that Kirsten wasn't going to like the fact that Rebecca wasn't dead and that she was in Newport. She was going to be furious. It was the reason why he had dragged his feet so much in telling her.

Opening the car door, Sandy stepped out onto the pavement and walked up to his office. He took a deep breath and opened the door. Max and Rebecca were both waiting for him in the main room. Sandy had called his mentor on the way out.

"Sandy! How are you coming on the case?" Max asked immediately, foregoing any formal greeting.

Rebecca just smiled demurely in the low lamplight.

Sandy sighed and sat his briefcase down on the table next to his desk. "I'm sorry Max, Rebecca, but I'm going to have to recommend someone else handle your case." He declared.

Max's jaw dropped while Rebecca's mouth formed a grim line.

"What?" Rebecca whispered furiously. "Did little Miss Newport Barbie pitch a temper-tantrum? This is my life we're talking about! What did she do? Cut them off on her wedding night? Be a man!" She exclaimed.

"Sandy, this is more important than some squabble with your wife. She needs to understand that she's not the only person in your life. You and Rebecca love each other!" Max argued.

Sandy felt his blood run cold at the hateful words. His eyes narrowed and he clenched his hand into a fist. He glanced at Max. "Is that what this is really all about? You trying to get Rebecca and me back together? Because I can tell you right now, that is not going to happen. I love my wife more than life itself. She doesn't try to control me, we are partners. Right now my partner is sitting in a hospital room with our son who had surgery today and is going to have a very long recovery in front of him. That is why I can't take your case. I have to take care of my son." Sandy stated softly, barely restrained rage coloring his tone.

Max and Rebecca both widened their eyes. "Sandy, I – I don't know what to say."

"Goodbye would be a start. I don't know when you became this vindictive and conniving person that would try to breakup my marriage Max, but I don't know you anymore." Sandy retorted. He reached into his briefcase and handed them a sheet of paper. "I made a list of attorneys that I felt would do your case justice. You can do with it what you will, I'm finished here. I also recommend that you find somewhere else to stay."

"Where Sandy? Where am I supposed to go?" Rebecca cried.

"You should be able to figure it out. After all, you were able to disappear for twenty-two years." Sandy replied flippantly.

"Sandy I never meant any of this to happen." Max apologized. "I was just looking for Rebecca."

"And you found her." Sandy stated. "I wish you luck Max, but I have to focus on my family right now. I almost lost my son last night and I realized that my family is my life. I can't jeopardize that for anything, not even an old friend."

"I thought that we were family Sandy." Rebecca retorted.

Sandy sighed and looked at the woman that he used to be in love with. She was still beautiful, but she wasn't Kirsten; the woman who lit up a room when she walked into it, could plan billion dollar deals and then play video games later with her sons. Kirsten, the one who saved their son's life the night before. No, Rebecca was the past, and it was best that she stay there.

"I was on my way to a meeting last night with a private investigator about your case when I received a phone call from Seth. He informed me that my son, Ryan, had a heart attack in our dining room and that my wife had saved his life with CPR. He told me that Ryan's heart had stopped beating and he had died for a few moments. As I drove to the hospital last night praying that I would still have two sons this morning, I realized that as much as I cared about you, I couldn't survive without them. Now Ryan has a defibrillator in his heart to make sure this doesn't happen again. He is going to have a very long recovery – at least six weeks – before he can function normally. I don't have the time or energy to take care of my family and handle your case. I'm sorry, but you need to find someone else." Sandy explained slowly. He turned and looked at Rebecca. "And you need to find a new family."

"I'm sorry that happened Sandy, but Rebecca's life is at stake here!" Max argued.

"So is my son's!" Sandy snapped. He backed off and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry Max, but I can't help you anymore. Have your new attorney call me and I'll send him everything that I've done so far, but I have to be with my family right now."

Max growled angrily under his breath and ripped the list from Sandy's outstretched hand. "Come on Rebecca. I'll set you up in a hotel tonight and we'll figure out something else tomorrow."

Rebecca glanced over at Sandy and then nodded. She walked into the back room she had been using and gathered her things. A moment later she was following her father out the door. Right before she left, she turned and looked at her former lover.

"I have always loved you, you know." She said softly.

"I love you too." Sandy admitted stoically. "I just love my wife more."

Rebecca winced at the dig and closed the door behind her.

Sandy slumped down and ran a hand over his hair. Now he just had to tell Kirsten.

The room was quiet save for the beeping monitor, but it was almost hypnotic in its steady sound. Now that his heartbeat was regulated, Kirsten realized just how out of rhythm Ryan's heart was before the procedure. She watched him sleep – so grateful that she could still do that.

Kirsten had known that she loved her foster son for a while now. When the boys had been gone the previous summer, she had missed Ryan just as much as Seth. However last night, when Ryan had stopped breathing, Kirsten had panicked. She couldn't imagine a life without her second son. She loved him as if she had given birth to him herself.

Kirsten was startled out of her thoughts when the door opened and Sandy stuck his head into the room. Surprised to see her husband when he was supposed to be home catching up on sleep, Kirsten stood up and met him in the doorway.

"What's wrong?" She whispered so she wouldn't wake Ryan up.

"I need to talk to you." Sandy informed her as he gently took her arm and led her into the hallway.

"What's going on Sandy?" Kirsten was now becoming worried. "Is Seth ok?"

"Seth is fine. I need to give you a heads up about something that's occurred in the last few days." Sandy assured her.

"Can't it wait?" Kirsten asked.

"It's already waited too long." Sandy confessed. He took a deep breath. "I told you that Professor Bloom asked me to find Rebecca?"

"Yeah, then you found out that she was dead." Kirsten nodded.

"Except she wasn't." Sandy replied. He winced at Kirsten's gasp. "Max brought her to my office a few days ago. They want me to defend her so that she can spend what time Max has left with her father."

Kirsten backed away from her husband and crossed her arms over her chest. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" She demanded.

"Because it would make you an accessory if you knew where she was. Rebecca hasn't turned herself in yet because we were building a case." Sandy explained.

"So what is making you tell me now? Did she turn herself in?" Kirsten wanted to know.

"No. She's still out. I was going into a meeting with a private investigator when Seth called me last night. I realized that I couldn't take any chances with our family. There was a probability that this case could get pretty ugly. The feds are after her. They could decide to come after me as well so I told Max and Rebecca that I couldn't help them anymore and gave them a list of other attorneys to call. My place is here with you, Ryan and Seth." Sandy informed her.

Kirsten sighed and rubbed her forehead. "And did Rebecca agree to this?"

"She didn't have a choice. I will always love Rebecca, but never as much as I love you. Kirsten you are my life – you and our sons. Like I said before, my place is with you." Sandy assured her.

Kirsten smiled softly. "I can't say that I'm comfortable with Rebecca being nearby, but I trust you Sandy. I know that you're an honorable man and that you wouldn't do anything to deliberately hurt our family."

Sandy grabbed his wife and held her close to him as he tried his best to meld his lips to hers. God he loved this woman. Her respect and faith in him made him feel like the most powerful man in the world – like he could do anything.

Kirsten wrapped her arms around Sandy's neck and gave as good as she got. They needed this moment. This kiss in the hallway of the hospital outside their son's door was a defining moment reiterating those vows that they had taken so long ago: to honor and love each other forever.

When air became an issue, they both reluctantly pulled back and stared into each others' eyes.

"You are the one for me, never doubt that Kirsten." Sandy told her softly.

"I won't." Kirsten whispered reverently before smiling. "Now you need to go home and get some sleep. I don't expect to see you before lunch because you will be adopting our son." She instructed.

"Yes ma'am." Sandy grinned roguishly.

Kirsten kissed him hard and quick before she turned back towards the door. "I love you Sandy, now get some sleep."

"You try to as well. I'll see you tomorrow around lunch." Sandy promised before turning and heading out of the hospital.

Kirsten smiled and let herself back into Ryan's room. She was startled when those blue eyes pierced her in the semi-darkness.

**(A/N: TAKE INSULIN NOW!)**

"Are you ok?" Ryan asked softly.

"Yes, did you hear all that?" Kirsten asked, crossing the room to him and taking his hand.

Ryan nodded. "So you and Sandy are fine?"

"You have nothing to worry about. I trust Sandy." Kirsten hesitated a moment. "Did you hear the last part?"

Ryan stared at Kirsten searchingly. "You want to adopt me?" He whispered reverently.

"More than anything in the world." Kirsten assured him as she smiled down at him and ran a hand over his hair. "How do you feel about that?"

Ryan closed his eyes and gave himself a moment to enjoy the comfort that his foster mother was offering. If he was adopted, there wouldn't be anymore explaining that he was the Cohen's foster son. He would actually be a Cohen and would never doubt that he belonged. On the other hand, he would be leaving Dawn, Trey and Frank behind. Ryan sighed. He didn't even call Dawn and Frank "Mom" or "Dad" anymore.

Opening his eyes once more, Ryan stared into blue eyes so much like his own. Most people would just assume that Ryan took after Kirsten while Seth looked like his father. Social Services wouldn't be able to bother them anymore like they did right after the Oliver incident. Ryan had been afraid that he was going to be taken away. The temptation to have a permanent home was too much.

"I want you to adopt me." Ryan said softly. "I want to have a home."

Kirsten hugged him gently, avoiding his bandage and the wires. "You have no idea how happy you have just made me." She whispered in his ear before kissing his cheek. Grinning, she stood back up and reached for her phone. "I think we need to share this with your father, don't you?"

Ryan smiled shyly and nodded. He watched nervously as Kirsten dialed the house and listened as she greeted her husband on the other line.

"I have someone here that wants to tell you something." Kirsten introduced before holding the phone out to Ryan.

Ryan took the phone and brought it to his ear. "Sandy?"

"_Yeah Kid_?"

"I – I want you to adopt me. I want to be your son." Ryan found it was even easier to say the second time. Perhaps he was becoming more comfortable with the idea?

"_I want nothing more than to be your father, Ryan. I'll get it started tomorrow_." Sandy replied excitedly.

Ryan smiled at his soon-to-be mom and nodded. "Yeah, that sounds great."

"_Just rest and don't worry about anything but getting healthy. I'll take care of all the technicalities_." Sandy instructed him.

"Ok." Ryan replied.

"_I love you Kid_." Sandy spoke gently.

"I love you too – Dad." Ryan whispered back before handing the phone back to Kirsten and smiling contently.

TBC…

**A/N: Ok, this is really short, but this became such a solid stopping point. I'll pick it up in the next chapter, and I'll try to keep the fluff to a minimum, but no promises. I'm pretty happy with life right now and I can't seem to help myself. I'll have to call my mother so I can be all angsty again – she always manages to kill a mood (think Louise Miller, Bill's mom on "Still Standing". I swear they wrote that character based on my mom!)**


	6. Chapter 6

PART 6

Dawn Atwood looked up when the heavy metal door opened. She watched anxiously as her son's lawyer came into the room and sat down in the chair across from her. Sandy Cohen was a handsome man in Dawn's opinion. He'd be perfect if not for those heavy eyebrows, but they somehow gave his face more character. She watched as he turned his compassionate blue eyes on her and had to look away in shame.

"What happened Dawn?" Sandy asked softly.

Dawn ran a finger over the table in front of her and avoided the lawyer's eyes. "I ran out of money." She stated softly.

"So you knew that you were writing bad checks?" Sandy clarified.

Dawn just nodded in reply.

Sandy sighed and shook his head. He still couldn't figure out where Ryan got his integrity.

"How's Ryan?" Dawn asked, cutting into Sandy's thoughts.

Sandy took a deep calming breath and let it out slowly. "He gets out of the hospital tomorrow."

Dawn's eyes jerked up at that announcement. "What happened? I left him with you so he'd be safe!" She growled.

"Ryan had a heart attack two days ago. Kirsten performed CPR until the paramedics arrived." Sandy informed her calmly.

Dawn looked confused. "But Ryan doesn't do drugs."

"No, he doesn't." Sandy agreed. "The doctors found a heart condition called HCM. It's hereditary, and Ryan informed us that he couldn't have gotten it from you. I'm not going to even mention how he knows that information, but I will be contacting Frank to get tested."

Dawn winced a bit and stared down at the table in front of her. "Frank isn't Ryan's father."

Sandy leaned back in his chair as he fought to absorb that statement. "Then who is?"

Dawn shrugged without raising her eyes. "I don't know his name. We were in Fresno and needed money. Trey was about three, and Frank had lost his job. We had a friend who offered me some work at his club. I found out I could make more when things were really tight in the alley behind the club with some of the drunk customers."

Sandy sighed heavily and closed his eyes. He could feel a headache coming on. "So you have no idea who Ryan's father is?"

"Actually, that was a pretty slow month." Dawn confessed. "There was a group of guys in expensive clothes there one night. One of them got pretty drunk and was telling everyone that he thought his wife was going to leave him as soon as their baby was born. He was frustrated because he had bought her a mansion in Newport and anything else she wanted. I thought I might score some extra cash so I stuck close to him. Sure enough, it worked. Nine months later I had Ryan."

Sandy was beginning to fear that _he_ was about to have a heart attack! "So how do you know that Frank isn't still Ryan's father?"

Dawn shrugged. "We got a paternity test after Frank got a new job. Ryan isn't his. Frank was really angry about that. He thought I had just been dancing."

"Damn." Sandy grumbled. This was going to get messy, he just knew it. How was he going to tell Ryan that Frank wasn't his father?

Shoving those thoughts to the back of his mind, Sandy focused back on the job at hand. "Dawn, I came to find you for a reason."

Dawn looked up in confusion. "I thought you were here to tell me about Ryan's heart."

"Actually, I came to ask you to sign adoption papers." Sandy dropped the bomb shell.

He watched as Dawn paled drastically. "You want to take my baby?"

"No, we want to give Ryan a stable home and family." Sandy disagreed.

"He had that anyway without you adopting him." Dawn argued half-heartedly.

"No, he had a place to stay. I know you want what's best for him Dawn. This way he'll never worry about how long this will last. He can finally relax and just live without wondering if social services will find some reason to take him away. If for no other reason Dawn, sign these so that your son won't be putting extra strain on his heart." Sandy urged. He knew that he was being a little underhanded, but he would do anything to help his son.

Dawn wiped at the tear trailing down her cheek. "Will you help me get out of here?"

Sandy felt his breath catch and nodded. It was just further proof that Ryan belonged with them. He would never bargain his son away for a get-out-of-jail-free card. He watched with bated breath as Dawn's shaky scrawl spelled out her name on the adoption papers. He tried to hide his relief when Dawn passed the signed paperwork back to him.

"I'll see what I can do." Sandy stated, placing the papers carefully back into his briefcase.

"Take good care of him." Dawn whispered.

"I love him too much to do otherwise." Sandy declared softly before turning and leaving the room.

Two hours and several phone calls later, Dawn walked out of the prison and Sandy hoped to never see her again.

Kirsten walked slowly down the hall. It was everything she could do to keep from reaching out and supporting her son as he worked his way carefully down the hall of the hospital. It was part of his physical therapy to do these laps and regain his strength. She had no idea how hard it would be to see her normally athletic son who could run circles around the rest of them, shuffling weakly down a hallway on shaking legs.

"Good work Ryan, I think that's enough for today." The therapist, Sienna, declared as she watched another bead of sweat streak down her patient's temple. "You don't want to overdue it."

"Just a little farther," Ryan panted heavily.

"No way mister, you've already been on your feet longer than I would like. About face before I go get a wheelchair and make a big scene in front of all the hot nurses." Sienna threatened. She hid a smile when the teen blushed a bit and reluctantly agreed. It was times like this when she was grateful for male pride. She shared a playful wink with the kid's mom and they made their way back to the room.

A few minutes later, Ryan was once again settled in his bed, and Kirsten was tucking him in. Even though he knew that he should protest, it felt really good for Kirsten to fuss over him like this so he just let her.

"Okay handsome, I'll be back this evening for another stroll. Meanwhile, get some rest and have a good dinner." Sienna ordered playfully before leaving them alone.

Ryan sighed heavily and closed his eyes. Kirsten ran a hand through his hair. "Are you okay?" She asked softly.

"Yeah, just tired. I hate feeling like this." Ryan confessed.

"I know, but you'll get better and before you know it, you'll be jogging on the beach again." Kirsten reassured him.

"Not like I used to." Ryan muttered lowly, but Kirsten heard him anyway.

"No, not like before, but at least you can still have workouts." Kirsten pointed out.

"Yeah," Ryan whispered dejectedly.

Kirsten's heart broke for him. She knew that her blond son used physical activity to relieve stress. Maybe she could come up with another pastime to help him relax. Meanwhile, she would be there for him as much as he allowed.

Kirsten was startled when the door slammed open and her older son came strolling in with his girlfriend. Seth was balancing a tray of coffees and a large bag that Kirsten was sure was full of the latest comic books. Summer came walking behind him carrying only her coffee and a small purse.

Seth dropped the bag and set the coffee on a small night stand before collapsing into a free chair. Summer rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's dramatics and then walked over to the bed.

"How are you Chino?" Summer asked with a soft smile.

"Just a little tired." Ryan shrugged.

"Ryan just finished his physical therapy a few minutes ago." Kirsten informed them.

"Gotta stay buff huh Chino?" Summer grinned.

Ryan rolled his eyes, but he couldn't keep the slight grin off his face.

"Hey, what are you doing checking out my brother?" Seth protested. "You don't talk about my muscles."

"That's because you don't have any Cohen." Summer cut playfully.

"Ouch." Seth muttered before smiling over at a chuckling Ryan – score one for team Seth and Summer.

Before he could say anything, the door opened again and Sandy came into the room. He smiled to see his family together, but it was an effort. He was not looking forward to what he was going to tell them. He was particularly concerned about telling Ryan. Before coming to the room, Sandy had tracked down Dr. Taylor and asked him if Ryan was well enough to talk to about this. Dr. Taylor agreed that it would be best to tell Ryan about his father while Ryan was still in the hospital in case there was a problem. Currently there was a nurse waiting outside with a sedative if it was needed.

"Sandy?" Kirsten asked, realizing that something was wrong.

Summer glanced around before standing back up. "Um, maybe I should give you guys some privacy." She declared before walking out of the room and closing the door behind her. She was startled to see a nurse standing right outside with a syringe. Glancing back at the door with trepidation, Summer walked down the hall and headed towards her father's office.

"What's going on?" Seth asked.

"I went to see Dawn today so that she could sign the adoption papers." Sandy began.

Ryan sighed heavily. "She didn't sign." He muttered; his heart dropping as he watched his dream of a real family fall apart.

"No! No Ryan, she signed the papers." Sandy assured him.

Ryan wasn't sure if that was better or worse. As much as he wanted to be a member of the Cohen family, it still hurt that his mother was willing to just give him up like that.

"Ryan, it's about your father." Sandy said slowly.

"Frank?" Ryan asked.

"Actually, that's the problem." Sandy declared soberly. "Dawn said that Frank isn't your father."

Kirsten gasped and reached over to take Ryan's hand. Seth watched his brother with concern, and Ryan just stared at Sandy in shock.

"What?" Ryan whispered.

"Dawn said that she was working at a club right before you were born. Frank had lost his job and they needed the money. She would make extra money from time to time by sleeping with some of the customers. One night a group of wealthy men came into the club. One of them got really drunk and was telling everyone that his wife was going to leave him after she had her baby. Dawn was with him later that night. You were born nine months later." Sandy explained carefully.

Ryan closed his eyes as if in pain.

"Ryan? Are you okay?" Kirsten asked gently.

A tear leaked out from under the teen's eye lid and trailed down his cheek. "My father was my mom's john." Ryan whispered brokenly. "I'm a bastard."

"Oh no you don't young man! You are an amazing kid who we love so much that we want you to be part of our family. So I will not have you putting yourself down." Kirsten declared angrily.

Ryan opened his blue eyes and stared at the blonde woman next to him. He squeezed her hand to acknowledge her statement.

"So she has no idea who this guy was?" Ryan asked after he regained his composure.

"She heard him say that he had bought a mansion here in Newport for his pregnant wife but that she was going to leave him as soon as the baby was born. She didn't even get his name." Sandy informed him.

"So what happens now?" Ryan asked softly.

"Now we find this guy and get him to sign custody over to us." Sandy stated. When he noticed Ryan's apprehensive expression, he paused. "Are you okay with that?"

Ryan looked down at the blanket covering his legs and sighed. "I'm not sure that I want to know who my father is. What if he's some asshole?"

"Well the chances are good for that considering this is Newport." Sandy admitted before flinching back after Kirsten slapped his arm.

Ryan couldn't help but chuckle at the moment of levity.

"No matter who your father is, that doesn't change how much we love you." Sandy reassured him. "You're our son now Ryan, everything else is just biology."

Ryan looked up into the older man's eyes. He saw the sincerity and love there. "Okay." He agreed softly.

Sandy nodded at him before pulling the teen into his arms and hugging him close while being careful of the bandage. "I'll take care of everything Kid. You just concentrate on getting better. I love you." Sandy declared as he pulled back and stared down into his son's eyes.

"I love you guys too." Ryan stated, barely keeping his voice from trembling.

"How are you doing? Are you feeling okay?" Sandy asked, sitting back in the chair next to Ryan's bed. Despite the fact that Ryan hadn't panicked, he was still concerned how this news had affected the teen.

"I'm fine, just tired." Ryan admitted as he leaned back into his pillows.

"Then why don't you rest and we'll be here when you wake up." Kirsten suggested gently as she stood up, brushed his hair back and kissed his forehead.

Ryan smiled and then closed his eyes and a few minutes later he was asleep.

Seth sat in the chair in the corner. He hadn't said a word during his father's explanation of Ryan's conception. He couldn't begin to wrap his brain around the fact that Ryan's dad was a Newpsie. That was bizarre on so many levels. He needed to talk to Summer.

TBC...


	7. Chapter 7

PART 7

Summer opened her father's office door and stuck her head into the room. Dr. Neil Roberts was on the phone, but he smiled and waved his daughter into the room.

"Thursday sounds great Bill. I'll see you then." Neil finished his call and placed the receiver in the cradle. "Hello sweetheart, what brings you here?"

"I'm visiting Cohen's brother." Summer informed him as she plopped down in a chair across from her father's desk.

"That foster kid?" Neil asked, trying to remember the kid his daughter was talking about.

"Not for long, the Cohen's are adopting him." Summer grinned.

"I take it that you're happy about this?" Neil was curious.

Summer shrugged. "Chino's a good guy who's had a tough life. He deserves a family."

Neil was constantly amazed with the changes in his daughter since she started dating Seth Cohen. Summer had been so absorbed with her own life that a foster kid being adopted would have never even registered for her. He didn't care very much for the insecure young man that his daughter insisted on calling her boyfriend, but there was no denying the boy's influence.

"I'm proud of you Sweetheart." Neil declared.

Summer looked surprised at the random statement. "Thanks Daddy, what brought that on?"

"You care about others. I can tell that you're excited about this foster kid getting adopted." Neil explained.

"Ryan's mom abandoned him last year and the Cohen's took him in. He's someone that you can really count on when you need him. There aren't many guys like that anymore." Summer informed him.

"So why is he in the hospital?" Neil asked.

"He had a heart attack." Summer stated. "It was pretty scary from what Cohen said. Kirsten had to do CPR and everything."

"What caused the heart attack?" Neil wanted to make sure that Summer wasn't associating with a dope head.

"He has some sort of heart defect. They used initials that started with an 'H', 'HMS' or 'HMC', something like that." Summer shrugged.

"HCM?" Neil verified.

"Yeah! That's the one!" Summer nodded. "HCM. Anyway they had to put some kind of machine in his heart to make sure it keeps beating."

"An ICD?" Neil guessed.

"I think so, I didn't really understand much about it. Seth was pretty upset though because Ryan won't be able to workout like he usually does, and there's always the chance for another heart attack. Seth really cares about his brother." Summer shrugged sadly.

"He has every right to be upset about that. HCM is nothing to play with." Neil stated. He would need to find out what room the boy was in so that he could speak to Sandy and Kirsten. It was a habit to take an interest in any patients who were in his daughter's circle of friends. He had done the same for Marissa over a year ago.

"I have a break right now, why don't we go get something to eat?" Neil suggested standing and walking around his desk.

Summer nodded and took his offered hand before settling her arm in the crook of his elbow. "Sound's great, but the café – not that gross cafeteria – ewe."

Neil chuckled at the cute picture his daughter made with her scrunched up nose and led her out of the office and towards the café.

"That's it Ryan, you're doing great."

Ryan tried to ignore Sienna's encouraging voice as he focused on putting one foot in front of the other. They had only gone about ten feet and he was already forced to push past his exhaustion in order to continue farther. Sandy stood on his other side ready to catch him if he stumbled while Sienna guarded the other side. Kirsten and Seth were waiting in the room for them to return.

They had just reached the elevator when the doors _swooshed_ open and revealed Marissa standing there with Alex.

"Ryan! Oh my God!" Marissa exclaimed before hurrying over to her ex-boyfriend and hurling herself into his arms.

"Marissa no!"

"Umph!" Ryan grunted as his chest exploded in pain and he went tumbling backwards.

Sandy and Sienna tried to catch him, and Sandy managed to get behind his son so that he absorbed the impact with the floor instead. He heard a "crack" as his head connected with the tile and he saw stars. It took Sandy a moment to realize that Ryan was groaning in pain above him. Alarmed, Sandy pulled himself out from under the teen and knelt next to him on the floor.

While Sandy was becoming up close and personal with the floor, Sienna was busy jerking the instigator off her patient. After giving the teen girl a look that would freeze lava, the physical therapist turned her attention to Ryan. She was alarmed to see a spot of blood begin to spread on the bandage covering his incision.

"Damn!" She exclaimed before turning her attention to a nurse hurrying towards them to help. "Page Dr. Taylor. He's bleeding from the site." Sienna ordered. "Also, get me a gurney. I don't want him to move until the doctor can check him out!"

"Ryan? Can you hear me son?" Sandy asked softly.

Ryan kept his eyes closed as he fought to control the pain radiating through his chest, but he whispered "Yeah."

"Okay handsome, I want you to be as still as possible while we get you back to your room. Can you do that for me?" Sienna asked gently.

"Hurts to think about moving." Ryan spoke so softly that they had to lean in to hear him.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't know he'd be so weak!" Marissa wailed from Alex's arms as she stared down at Ryan.

Just then, the elevator door s opened again and this time Summer stepped out with her father. Realizing immediately that there was a problem, Neil hurried over to them.

"What happened?" Neil asked briskly as he began to look Ryan over.

"Marissa decided to practice her tackling skills on Ryan while he's trying to recover from ICD surgery." Sandy grumbled.

Neil shook his head in exasperation. "I wonder about that girl." He muttered before looking up to see a gurney coming their way. "Excellent. Let's try not to jostle this kid any more than necessary." He instructed the orderlies.

In just seconds they had him on the gurney and wheeled back into his room with everyone following. Kirsten and Seth shot up from their chairs at the sight of the group.

"What happened?" Kirsten demanded as Sandy moved to her side to allow the nurses and Neil to examine their son.

"Marissa threw herself at Ryan when she saw him. She could be a starting linebacker for any college in the country." Sandy grumbled. "Don't let her size fool you."

Both Kirsten and Seth swore. The door opened and Dr. Taylor came hurrying into the room. His eyes opened in surprise when he saw Neil.

"Dr. Roberts, branching out?" Dr. Taylor joked as he rushed to his patient and began to look over the incision.

"Not hardly, Ryan's a friend of my daughter's and I was coming to visit with his parents when we saw him laid out in the floor. It seems that he was accosted while walking in the hallway. I'm more than happy to watch you do all the work!" Neil smiled grimly.

Dr. Taylor's jaw clenched when he saw the wound. "I'm going to need a scan to see if the device is still intact." He ordered the nurse beside him.

"Right away Doctor." The woman exclaimed before running out the door so that she could schedule it immediately.

"Let's get him a light sedative and pain killer to take the edge off until I figure out if the ICD is salvageable." The Doctor instructed the nurse who had taken her colleague's place.

Ten minutes later, Ryan was being wheeled down for tests leaving the Cohen's, Robert's, Marissa and Alex standing in the room. Summer wasted no time before she stalked over to her best friend and slapped her on the arm – hard.

"What the hell? Summer?" Marissa exclaimed, grabbing her injured appendage.

"What the hell do you think you were doing? What part of Ryan had a heart attack don't you understand? Are you _trying_ to kill him?" Summer lambasted the skinny blond.

"I'm sorry! I didn't realize that Ryan was so weak!" Marissa wailed, tears streaming prettily down her face.

"No, you weren't thinking about Ryan at all. What the hell are you even doing here? You haven't given Ryan the time of day since he caught you cheating on him with the gardener!" Summer demanded.

"Caleb and Mom told me that Ryan had a heart attack. I know that you don't think so, but I will always love Ryan." Marissa explained, not noticing the sharp look that her girlfriend shot her.

Seth didn't miss the look on Alex's face and he couldn't help but internally roll his eyes and grumble about Marissa's stupidity.

Summer crossed her arms in front of her and glared at her best friend. "When did Caleb and Julie tell you about all this?"

Marissa lowered her eyes to the floor. "This morning," She confessed.

"Lovely, so you just now took time out of your busy schedule to come check on him?" Summer sneered. The brunette sighed and shook her head. "I think you've done enough. We'll let you know when Ryan's ready to see you again."

"Hey! You're not Ryan's monitor! You can tell me when to come see my boyfriend!" Marissa protested.

"First of all, Ryan isn't your boyfriend. You're exploring the other team – remember? Second, Ryan is my friend and he'd do the same for me if need be. Third, you really hurt him Marissa! He's supposed to go home tomorrow and now he might not. You know how much he hates hospitals! So leave and I'll be in touch!" Summer declared.

Shooting everyone a hurt look, Marissa turned and left the room with an angry Alex right behind her.

Summer turned and looked at everyone else. She shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry if I overstepped – rage black-out and all." She muttered.

"You are so my hero!" Seth exclaimed, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her close.

Kirsten and Sandy were also smiling. "It's fine Summer, I'm sure that Ryan appreciates you looking out for him." Kirsten assured the teenage girl. "He needs good friends."

Neil chuckled at them and then cleared his throat. "I was actually coming to visit and see how you were all holding up."

Sandy crossed the room and shook the doctor's hand. "Thanks so much for your help Neil."

Neil shrugged. "There wasn't much I could do since I didn't know Ryan's case. Summer tells me that he has HCM?"

"We had no idea until he collapsed at dinner the other night." Kirsten stated with a shiver.

Neil patted her arm. "Summer told me that you saved his life."

"It was the scariest thing I've ever done." Kirsten confessed. "I thought I lost him when he stopped breathing."

Sandy wrapped and arm around his wife's shoulders. He looked up at Neil. "We've actually decided to adopt Ryan."

Neil nodded. "He's a very lucky young man. Summer said that you wanted to make him an official member of your family. You have my admiration."

"Thanks. We've hit a bit of a snag though, and since you've lived in Newport all your life maybe you can help us." Sandy began.

Intrigued, Neil motioned for the lawyer to continue.

"I got Ryan's mother's signature, but when I mentioned his father, Frank, Dawn informed me that Frank wasn't his father. It turns out that she slept with a rather drunk man from Newport who was ranting about how his wife was leaving him after their baby was born. Not only do we need his signature to complete the adoption, but the man may or may not know that he has HCM." Sandy explained.

Neil felt his blood run cold as he heard the story. It wasn't possible, there was no way… Neil coughed a bit and then looked back up at Sandy. "I'm not sure who it could be. I'll have to get back to you."

Sandy smiled. "Thanks Neil, we really appreciate your help."

"No problem. I'm sure that Ryan's tests will take a bit longer, and I need to get some work done if I'm going to be able to get home at a decent hour. I'll come back another time to visit." Neil did his best to keep from stuttering as his mind raced.

"Then we'll look forward to seeing you later." Sandy shook the other man's hand one more time and watched as he left the room.

**A/N: I realize that Summer's mother didn't leave until later in her life, but hey, this is fanfiction. I'm changing it to suit my needs. ;)**

TBC…


	8. Chapter 8

Neil stared down at the eight and a half by eleven piece of paper that had just turned his world on its head. After speaking to Sandy, the doctor had requested a paternity test from a lab tech that owed him a favor. There it was in black and white – he had a son.

Neil closed his eyes and moaned as the ramifications filtered through his mind in fast forward. Summer had a brother. He could only be thankful that Ryan and Summer had never dated. Now he had to decide what to do about the adoption. Was he truly willing to give up the son he had never known just like that?

Taking a deep breath, Neil picked up his phone and dialed his daughter. Before anything else happened, Summer needed to know. Despite her young age, Neil's daughter was very wise when she wanted to be and he needed a second opinion.

"There was no damage to the ICD." Dr. Taylor began. He paused as the Cohen family expressed their relief. "We are going to keep him an extra day just to make sure that no complications arise from Ryan's fall. After that you can take him home and I'll see him in my private practice for a follow up."

"Are you sure I have to stay?" Ryan asked softly.

Dr. Taylor smiled regretfully. "Sorry Ryan, I know you're not a fan of this place, but we don't want to take any chances."

"That's fine Doctor." Kirsten declared with a pointed look at her blond son.

Ryan sighed and nodded. "Yeah."

Dr. Taylor gave his goodbyes and left the room.

The second that the doctor was out of the room, Kirsten was at Ryan's side straightening the blankets and running her fingers through his hair. Ryan just watched her curiously. Seeing his look, Kirsten gave him a self-depreciating smile.

"I'm sorry if I'm smothering you, but I faced a life without you a few days ago and it scared the hell out of me." Kirsten confessed.

Ryan stared into his foster mother's tear-filled eyes. He wasn't used to anyone taking care of him like this and even though it made him a little uncomfortable, it also felt nice.

"I'm sorry that I scared you." Ryan began. "I've never had anyone really take care of me like this before, but I kind of like it."

Kirsten sniffed and kissed his temple. "You're our son Ryan. We will always be here to take care of you."

"I told you once before Kid. You're with us and you don't have to be the parent anymore." Sandy stated as he came to stand beside his wife and laid his hand on Ryan's knee.

"Thanks." Ryan said softly.

Seth grinned and joined the rest of his family. "Besides, I've always wanted a little brother to teach the ways of the world."

Ryan shot a glare at the other teen.

Sandy and Kirsten chuckled at their son's antics. For the first time since Ryan collapsed, it felt like everything was going to be okay.

"Hey Dad, what did you need to talk about?" Summer asked as she let herself into her father's office and plopped down in a chair across from his desk.

Neil took a deep breath and stared down at the paper in his hand. "You know how Sandy and Kirsten want to adopt that boy Ryan?"

"Yeah, I told you – remember?" Summer nodded.

"Yes, well it seems that Sandy hit a snag. He got Ryan's mother's signature on the adoption papers, but Ryan's mother told him that her husband wasn't Ryan's father. It turns out that she had a one night stand with a man from Newport who was having marital problems." Neil explained.

Summer's eyes widened. "Ryan's dad is a Newpsie?"

Neil was startled. "A what?"

"Oh that's just what the Cohen's call Newport natives." Summer informed him nonchalantly.

Neil let out a nervous chuckle before taking another deep breath. "Anyway, Sandy asked me to help him figure out who Ryan's father could be. His only clues were that Ryan was conceived in the Fresno area and the man was complaining that his pregnant wife would leave him as soon as their baby was born."

Summer whistled low under her breath. "That's harsh. No wonder the guy cheated."

Neil couldn't help but be relieved at Summer's comment. Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad after all. "When I heard the story, I asked a colleague to run a quick test for me just to discount a hunch I had. The test came up positive."

Summer gasped. "Dad, are you saying that you know who Ryan's father is?"

Neil nodded slightly. Here it comes.

"So? Who is it?" Summer demanded, sitting on the edge of her seat.

"It's me."

Summer was sure that her heart stopped and all the air was sucked out of the room at those words. "What?" She whispered in shock.

"Ryan is my son. It was right after we had found out about you. Your mother had already been unhappy for a long time, and she was determined to leave as soon as you were born. She was too far along when she found out she was pregnant to abort – thank God. She stayed long enough to deliver you and she was gone within two days. I'm sorry Summer. I never wanted you to know about your mother so I said that she just up and left one day. The night that Ryan was conceived, I was at a convention in San Francisco and one of the doctors with us knew of a restaurant in Fresno that he claimed we had to try. After dinner we ended up at this bar nearby. I was drowning my sorrows and that's when I met Ryan's mother. I never even knew her name. The next morning I was on a plane back to Newport." Neil explained.

Summer sat in silence as her father told his story. It was surreal, but all that she could think of was that Ryan was her brother. "What are you going to do Dad? Are you going to give him up for adoption?"

Neil sighed and ran a hand over his face. "I don't know. That's what I've been trying to figure out since the test came back."

"Can I see it?" Summer asked.

Neil handed the oh so important paper over to his daughter. Summer stared down at the words. There it was in black and white. She had a brother and it was Ryan Atwood – or Ryan Cohen or Ryan Roberts. God this was a mess.

"What do you think I should do?" Neil asked softly.

Summer looked up at her father. She should be angry at him for cheating on her mother, but she couldn't. Her mother had thrown her away while her dad had always been there for her. "Do you want a relationship with Ryan?" She wanted to know.

Neil stared into his daughter's dark eyes and nodded. "I think I would, but I don't want to stand in the way of what would make him happy. You said that he's had a rough life and that this adoption would mean everything to him. I don't want to ruin his happiness with my selfish desire to know my son."

"You need to talk to them Dad. They all need to know what's going on, and you need to let Ryan decide for himself." Summer stated. "In fact, they're all in Ryan's room right now. Why don't we go down there and talk to them? You could meet Ryan."

"Are you sure that Ryan is recovered enough for this?" Neil asked.

"If he's not what better place than the hospital to tell him? At least he will get help quickly if he needs it." Summer shrugged. She stood and started towards the door before stumbling to a halt. She turned and looked at her father fearfully. "Dad, Ryan's condition is hereditary. His mom doesn't have it." Summer stated, putting the pieces together.

Neil sighed heavily. "I have HCM sweetheart, but I control it with medication and exercise. I've never had a heart attack, and I have regular checkups with my cardiologist. I had you tested when you were little and you tested negative. I thought that would be the end of it."

"Oh Dad." Summer cried before throwing her arms around him. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I didn't want to worry you. I'm very healthy at the moment Summer. My medication is working perfectly." Neil replied.

Summer sniffled and nodded into his chest. "Okay, so we just have to worry about keeping Ryan safe. Oh my God, I have a brother!" Summer exclaimed. Then she remembered and her face scrunched up. "Oh my God! I hit on him at Holly's party – eww!"

Neil couldn't help but chuckle at his daughter's antics. "Well at least nothing ever happened."

"No kidding! It's weird enough that Ryan is dating Kirsten's sister." Summer shook her head. "But then he also dated Kirsten's step-sister. How's that for sick and twisted."

Neil shook his head. "You'll have to explain to me how that happened some time."

Summer chuckled. "It is pretty funny."

Caleb Nichol stood in the doorway of Ryan's hospital room and watched the cozy scene. Kirsten, Sanford and Seth were standing around Ryan's bed as they made plans for when the boy got to go home. He squared his shoulders and tapped on the open door. Caleb didn't miss the distrust in his grandson's eyes. He was used to that look from Sanford, but it was strange to see Seth look at him like that.

"I just came by to see how Ryan was feeling." Caleb stated.

"Hi Dad." Kirsten greeted her father with a quick hug. "Ryan has to stay an extra day, but then if everything is alright, he can come home." Kirsten explained while smiling gently at the boy.

Caleb glanced at the teen in the hospital bed. "Why? What's wrong?"

"Oh just Marissa being her usual destructive self." Seth declared.

"Seth!" Kirsten scolded.

"What did she do?" Caleb demanded.

"It was an accident. It doesn't matter." Ryan stated softly.

Seth snorted his derision. "Yeah, I'm sure it's a new form of healing to tackle patients in the hallway."

"Seth, stop it." Ryan growled.

"Sorry man, but she's a menace. Marissa's been nothing but bad news since you met her. I know that you care about her, but you can't afford her kind of trouble anymore." Seth argued.

"Seth that's enough." Sandy ordered when he noticed how agitated Ryan was getting. He laid his hand on Ryan's arm. "Just relax Kid. You know Seth's just worried about you."

Ryan nodded. "I know."

Seth ran a hand over his hair. "I'm sorry Ryan. It just scared me when they had to wheel you back on a gurney."

"It's okay." Ryan assured his brother.

"Would someone please explain to me what happened and what Marissa has to do with it?" Caleb exclaimed.

Kirsten glanced over at Ryan who sighed and nodded. "Marissa came to visit Ryan. She and Alex arrived while Ryan was walking in the hall. She forgot to be gentle when she went to hug him and knocked him over. It tore some stitches in his surgery site so the doctor is keeping him an extra day just to make sure there are no complications. It was an accident."

Caleb shook his head at the news of his step-daughter's latest mess. He didn't miss that the rest of the family knew who Alex was, but he didn't think this was the time to bring that up. He turned his attention to his new grandson. "So how _are_ you feeling?"

Ryan looked at the large man warily and shrugged. "I'm fine."

"Hey, none of that." Sandy scolded gently.

Ryan sighed. "It aches a little, but it's nothing I can't handle."

"That's better. You know the rules Kid." Sandy smiled.

"Yeah." Ryan cut his eyes at his foster father and lifted the corner of his mouth.

Caleb couldn't help but admire the way that Sanford handled the quiet teen. He wouldn't admit it under torture, but Sandy was a good father – much better than he himself could claim to be. Unless it was business, even Kirsten didn't come to him with her problems and he had a closer relationship with Kirsten than he did with Hailey.

Just when Caleb was about to make another comment, Neil Roberts and his daughter came into the room. He took one look at their serious expressions and his curiosity was piqued.

"Neil, it's good to see you again." Sandy greeted the doctor.

"Hello Sandy. Summer and I need to talk to all of you." Neil replied.

Sandy's face was speculative as he nodded. He glanced over at Caleb questioningly.

Neil grimaced. "I'm sorry, but this is a very delicate matter." He told the real estate tycoon.

Caleb nodded while internally cursing the fact that he would have to wait to find out what was going on. "That's fine, I only had a few minutes anyway." He looked over at Ryan. "I hope that you get recover quickly."

"Thanks." Ryan replied softly and watched as the older man left the room. He visibly relaxed once Caleb was gone.

"So I'm guessing you have some information for us." Sandy stated. He came to stand next to Ryan. Despite the fact that the teen had taken the news that he wasn't truly an Atwood well, Sandy was still concerned with how he would feel when he found out who his father truly was.

Neil took a deep breath and nodded. "When you told me about Ryan's father, I had a hunch. I was able to run a test to find out if I was right." Neil paused to gather his courage. "Ryan is my son."

"Holy shit." Seth breathed.

It was telling that Kirsten didn't correct her son about his language.

"What?" Sandy asked softly.

Neil sighed and nodded. "When you told me where and what was said I knew that I was the most likely suspect. Not many people know this, but I also have HCM. I've been on medication for years." He went on to describe the circumstances of that night in Fresno. "I had no idea that you existed. You have to know that if I had, I would have come for you immediately." Neil seemed desperate for Ryan to know that.

Ryan felt like he was in the twilight zone. It was surreal that Summer's dad was his father. It seemed even stranger to think that Summer was his sister. As if thinking it had put her into motion, Summer came to his side and ran her hand over his.

"Dad just told me." She informed him. She smiled shakily. "So I guess that makes me your big sister. Not that you can call me big."

Ryan swallowed hard. "What happens now?" He whispered.

Neil sighed heavily. "If you want the Cohen's to adopt you I won't stand in your way. I just want you to be happy. I would like to get to know you better and maybe develop a relationship, but I also understand if that would be too difficult for you."

Ryan looked at his father shyly. It was obvious by the way that Summer looked up to her dad that Neil Roberts was a much better man than Frank Atwood. This was the man responsible for his life. His dad could be demanding full custody, but instead he's willing to give him up if it made Ryan happy.

"I don't know what to think." Ryan said softly.

"Then take your time and figure it out. There are no deadlines here. This is your life Kid. You know that Kirsten and I still want to make you our son, but this is something that you have to decide." Sandy suggested.

Ryan nodded. He glanced back over at his father. "I wouldn't mind getting to know you."

Neil smiled in relief. "Thank you." He replied. "I want you to know that I wouldn't hold it against you if you still wanted to be a Cohen. They're good people who obviously love you. I'm thrilled just to get to be in your life at all."

Ryan still felt as if someone had dumped him in an alternate universe, but he was thankful that Dr. Roberts was so understanding. Despite his desire to know his father, Ryan couldn't help but feel like the Cohen's were his parents.

TBC…


End file.
